Guardian of the Gates: Spirited Away
by Silvarena
Summary: Sora, the Guardian of the Spirit Gates, has her hands full. With an influx of humans through the gate and dealing with the witch of the Bathhouse, things couldn't get much harder. That is, until the Gate forces her to watch after a young Chihiro Ogino as she fights to save her parents.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I would like to start by thanking you for actually giving this story a chance. Second, I want to say that this story _will _follow the SA storyline, but will have some minor changes and such. This is actually going to serve as a base starting point before I go further into my own storyline, so sit back, relax, and enjoy reading a movie we all know in the first person of someone we don't actually know.

Disclaimer: I will say this once, and once only, so listen up! I don't own Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli does. All I own is any OCs I put in, any major changes to the story, and my own imagination. If you try to sue me, bite me.

Now that that is out of the way, on to the chapter.

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_Chapter I – The Spirit World_

My day began as normal, and was that way all the way up until now. Faint words whisper in the breeze, but for once, I can't understand them. A sudden shock along my spine tells me exactly what the words were meant to be.

_Mortals have breached the barrier around the forest._

I shake my head. How they got through, I have no idea. All I know is that I need to stop them from reaching the gate. In my mind's eye, I find them, speeding along in a petrol-fueled vehicle. Snapping my eyes open, I crouch down atop the red bell tower and run across the barrier into the human world. The statue blocks their vehicle from traveling any farther, and just as I'm about to force them off, the words of a small girl echo into the tunnel.

"The wind's pulling us in."

My eyes widen at her words. The spirit world has always enticed humans, the magic draws them in unconsciously, but never has the actual Gate tried to force a person in itself. I release my hold on the gate, letting it do what it wishes. In all my time, I've learned not to fight with this stupid thing. Even though it is inanimate to humans and spirits alike, it still carries its own presence. The Gate is powerful enough to plant a seed of doubt in a mortal's mind, but it isn't strong enough to prevent people it doesn't want from coming too close. That is where I come in.

"What is it?" I hear the woman ask. That's right. No human who leaves the spirit world remembers it.

"Come on, let's go in. I wanna see what's on the other side." The man replies.

"I'm not going!" Curiously, I turn my eyes back to the girl. "It gives me the creeps!"

"Don't be such a scaredy-cat, Chihiro. Let's just take a look." He tries to coax what I can only assume to be his daughter into agreeing. I lean back on my haunches. Why is it that the parents are enticed, but the child, the very one who should be excited for a new adventure, is the one trying to talk sense into her elders?

I watch as the girl weighs her options; staying alone in a strange place, or having the protection of her parents in a strange place. My ideal situation greatly varies from hers, as she runs under the gate.

I don't have to wait long on the spirit side, as the family of three make it out at just about the same time that I make it over. I sigh and trail a small ways behind as the father tries to explain why the place looks so old, saying that it's a 'Theme Park' or something along those lines. Such silliness. The buildings aren't made of 'plaster', for one. Two, the buildings actually _are_ old, and three, this place is _not _a 'Theme Park'! It isn't even a park!

Soon, the smell of food fills my senses. I haven't eaten in a couple of days, as more and more humans have continued to approach the Gate with the upcoming mid-rotation solstice. Between helping the Midnight plains set up for the festival, helping run that witch's bathhouse, and my duties to the Gate, my time usually dedicated to resting has disappeared.

"Hey, smell that?" The man turns from his wife to sniff at the air. "Something smells delicious."

"Yeah, and I'm starving." She smiles.

"Maybe this theme park's still in business. Let's go." He says, walking farther into the complex maze of restaurants. Why in Kami's good graces do I have a bad feeling about this?

Ever vigilant, I follow the visitors as the man uses his sense of smell to find the food. Which one of the kitchens would open up so early? The sun hasn't begun to set as of yet, but I still cast a glance at the sky every now and then as I follow them.

"Hey! I found it!" He yells, waving his family over. Hayori. That is the name of this specific restaurant. Wait a moment, this one is specifi-

"Oh, it's delicious! Chihiro, you have to taste this!" The woman's voice calls. I quickly tear my eyes away from the sign, looking at the human family. Seated at the bar, both adults dig in to plates piled high with food. Food meant for the spirits.

"I don't want any." The girl Chihiro shakes her head. "We're going to get in trouble! Let's just get out of here!" I rub my temples as I listen to her father speak of credit cards and cash. The worry on the child's face grows as her parents begin to snort on their meals.

_"__I hope you have fun with your petty spells, witch." _I murmur low enough to where the family cannot hear me. The mother continues to try and convince Chihiro to eat the food, only to be answered with a stubborn shake of the head.

"Come on you guys! You can't!" She yells frantically. The girl glances around nervously before exiting the stall. Her parents are a lost cause, so I choose to follow Chihiro instead of watching two humans slowly morph into pigs. My small charge looks down the road, then back at the steps. _Please, please don't take the steps._ My prayers are left unheeded as she takes to the stone stairs. I could force her back if I wanted to…..if I had enough power to do so right now.

She looks to her side, finally noticing the grand design of the Aburaya. Her eyes grow wide in amazement as she runs up to the wooden bridge, hesitating on the stone before it. The wind blows the boilers' smoke high into the air as it rattles the windows on some of the floors above.

"It's a bathhouse." She speaks out loud. I hadn't noticed when she reached the halfway point of the bridge, and just as I go to stop her from getting any closer, she turns and looks over the rails at the train below. The screeching of its whistle hurts my ears, but she seems unfazed by it. Well, I've never been much of a fan of that train anyway. I watch as she runs to the other side of the bridge to see the train depart. The sound of a second pair of footsteps catches my attention before hers.

A boy with olive hair and emerald eyes stares at her for a moment, then runs up to her.

"You shouldn't be here. Get out of here, now!" He yells. Great job pointing out the obvious,-

"What?"

"It's almost night. Leave, before it gets dark." His words are punctuated by the lamps flaring all around us. "They're lighting the lamps. Get out of here! You have to get across the river, go! I'll distract them!" He pushes Chihiro forward, away from the bathhouse. I nod my head to the fleeing girl, even though she cannot see me and let my spell fall for a moment, revealing me not only to anyone around me, but to that rotten dragon as well. He doesn't notice though, as he focuses his magic into the form of scales meant to confuse the rather moronic workers.

I look over my shoulder to see Chihiro staring at my back. I catch her eyes for a split second before she runs off.

"Sora! Why did you let a human in here? You know that it is far too dangerous!" I turn back to my companion and glare at him.

"Listen here, _Master _Haku. First off, do you _know _how much power I've used keeping those stupid dogs and overly curious humans away from the Gate?! I haven't slept or eaten in _days_! Second, take up any complaints you have with the Gate. I was going to forcefully stop her from crossing, but _no_, the Gate wanted her and her family here." He goes to cut my off, but I wave him off in the same fashion that I do the frogs and yunna.

"No, dragon. You are going to listen to me whether you want to or not! Yubaba will already have turned her parents into pigs by now, seeing as they were snorting up all of the spirits' food. That girl at least has some common sense. Now, we have a scared-to-death human girl who is most likely fading as we speak! There is no way for her to get home, not tonight." The moment I've finished my rant, I'm off. Hastily, I jump up onto the roof of a nearby stall and start heading towards Hayori. _Chihiro has got to be here somewhere….._

Just as expected, I come to find an empty restaurant, it's only occupants behind the human- sorry- _pigs_ on the floor. I let out a hefty sigh. May as well let Haku find the girl. Besides, I have to clean up the mess her parents made.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, okay? What was the price for everything the humans ate?" I ask the head chef. The shadowy spirit counts out the costs.

"Two-thousand eight-hundred gold, Sora-sama." He states. I choke back a gasp as I pull the drawstrings closed on my coin pouch. Handing the spirit a locked black box, I walk back to the restaurant's entrance.

"There goes half my pay for this month….." I sulk. I wave a hand towards the broken china and spilled food, instantly wiping the stall of any trace of human gluttony. Minus the two unconscious pigs. The frogs can take care of that, I have more important things to do. Things like making sure nobody finds a certain human girl before Haku does.

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Okay, that's that! Hope you don't think of me as a failure of any sorts. Sorry if characters end up a little OOC in this story, but that's bound to happen anyway. Please feel free to leave a review, as it will help me figure out what people think I need to change or expand on. Just know that if you flame me, I'll use those fires to warm my feet when winter comes around for me. Sayonara!

-Silvarena


	2. Chapter II - Contract

Alright, so first of all I would like to say that I do have the entire storyline for this done already, I'm just going through and editing it as well as drafting the first chapter of the second part of this. I plan to make it a series, but I suppose that this story is more of an elongated prologue than anything else. Anyway, I'm glad that in the first twenty-four hours I got a positive review. Seriously, I'm so elated at the moment that I'm jittering as I write this.

Anyway, I in no way own anything mentioned in the previous chapter's disclaimer, but I do own my OCs, any changes in the story pertaining to my OCs, and my own imagination.

With that done, on to Chapter Two.

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_Chapter II – Contract_

"Master Haku! Master Haku!" I hear multiple frogs call out as I navigate the bathhouse. Soon one of the rather pesky frogs bounces up to me.

"Mistress Sora, have you seen Master Haku? Yubaba needs him right away, there's a human in the bathhouse. She also needs to have a word with you, Mistress." He bounces. "Huh? Why do you smell like a human too?"

"Because, I work partially in the human world, remember?" I scoff. "Master Haku is a tad preoccupied at the moment, I'll head up and see what the witch wants." The annoying worker looks at me for a moment, almost like he's doubting my words, before bouncing off towards the bridge. I weave my way through the crowd, greeting customers as I go along. Most of the workers move out of my way, but others, primarily the new ones, earn themselves a painful thwack for not paying attention.

"Oh. It's _you _again." The knocker shaped in the likeliness of Yubaba sneers. I smirk at it, quickly taking the ring and slamming the knocker against the wood four times. "Sheash. No respect at all." I hear it mutter. The large doors open, revealing room after room of garishly decorated walls and floors, not to mention the actual items in those rooms. Without a second of delay, I walk forward in the same quick pace that Haku and I typically use.

The route to the witch's – rather, Yubaba's – office is one that I've had memorized since the first week of me being here.

"Yubaba, for what reason have Haku and I been summoned?" I question the old crone sitting behind a rich mahogany desk. I bow my head, as I don't need to bow any lower. The witch should know as well as anyone else that I could easily take her fortune, her land, and everything she cherishes if I so wished, provided I have a reason and enough power saved to do so.

"You have a reason almost entirely different from his, so listen up." She begins. "There's a human on the loose in the bathhouse. I want you to catch it and bring the pest to me." I nod in response. "Good, now hurry along. If you see Haku, send him up here immediately."

I don't wait for her to say another word as I hurry, not down the lift, but out the window of her office to get Chihiro. Two wings of silver and black appear from my shoulders as I fall. I do believe that they have a mind of their own, as I don't need to think to pull myself up and away from the train tracks below.

It takes only a few seconds for me to reach the door to the boiler room. The wings dissipate, shattering like glass, and blow off into the wind. The second the door opens, a rather familiar voice greets my ears.

"Um….what do I do with this?" Chihiro asks. I peer around the corner to see her hunched over and holding a block of coal. Raising an eyebrow at the peculiar human girl, I choose instead to stick to the shadows and observe what she's doing.

"Finish what you started, human." Kamaji says, not turning away from his work, even for a moment.

After a few groans and heavy breaths, she finally nears the furnace. She hesitates for a moment, then chucks the coal into the furnace and hides behind the wall separating Kamaji's platform and the rest of the room from the fires of the furnace. I stifle a laugh as the susuwatari start yet another small protest, this time dropping coal on themselves. Kamaji bangs his metal mallet against the wood.

"Hey, you runts! You wanta turn back into soot?!" He then points the mallet at Chihiro. "And you, back off. You can't just take someone else's job. If they don't work, the spell wears off, they turn back into soot. There's no work for you here, got it? Try somewhere else!" The boiler man's words only serve to anger the soot sprites more, as they all pick up their coals and build a pile at Chihiro's feet.

"You soot balls gotta problem?" He yells. "Now get back to work!" I smile a bit. Kamaji is always fighting with the soot sprites, no matter what time of night it is. I doubt I'll ever understand the little flurries of the sprites, but I can tell when they are upset versus when they're content.

The small door in the far wall slides open, revealing a woman dressed in the salmon colored, female bath workers' uniform.

"Chow time!" She shouts. "What's going on? Are you guys fighting again?" She sighs. After scolding Kamaji about his dish habits and taking the dirty bowls from him, Rin walks over to the no-longer-flattened susuwatari. As she tosses the star candies to the jittering sprites, I quietly walk farther into the room. I watch as Lin looks to her side and gasps. Chihiro mirrors her.

"A human! _You're_ in trouble. _You're_ the one everyone's looking for!" Lin raises her voice. I once again don't get the chance to step in, as Kamaji takes the hit for me.

"She's my granddaughter." He states after taking a bite out of his dinner. I wonder, did he actually have that on standby on the off-chance someone noticed her?

"Granddaughter?" Rin asks.

"She says she wants to work here." Kamaji pauses to take a bite. "But I've got all the help I need. Would you take her to see Yubaba? She's a tough little girl, I think she can handle it."

"No way, I'm not gonna risk _my _life." She denies. Kamaji pulls out a roasted newt just as I step forward.

"There is no need, Rin. I was sent down to not only retrieve Master Haku, but this girl here as well." I state. Walking forward, I remove my black sandals and store them with the soots. I wear something similar to Haku, though I wear a black hakama instead, and my shirt is white with a gold colored hem.

"W-Who are you?" The small girl questions me timidly. I turn around to look at her. Seeing Chihiro up close, I can see that while she is rather skinny and doesn't have much of a muscle build, she can still handle the work of a bathhouse girl if she tries hard enough.

"You will learn soon enough, seeing as we are going to Yubaba. I will tell you on our way back." I walk away from her and lean down towards the tiny door. "Take your shoes and sock off, then follow me."

"If you want a job, you'll have to make a deal with Yubaba. She's the head honcho around here." Kamaji warns her. She glances at him, then to Rin.

"Actually…. Rin, please take her up there yourself. I need to let everyone know that the search is over." I hold a hand up to her in the same way I did to Haku not even a couple hours ago. "Don't interrupt me. I was going to say that you could have a fried newt that I have back on my plate in the kitchens, but nevermind that."

"Hm…..fine! But you owe me more than just a fried newt!" She retorts. I chuckle at her. Rin huffs a bit, then turns to Chihiro. "Come on little girl, you better follow me." Chihiro slips on the coal pile, but at least manages to make it to the floorboards safely before I take my sandals back and leave the boiler room through the outside door.

"Have you found her yet?" Yubaba asks in her nasally voice. As usual her fire is stoked and the room spells of Tabaco. I nod to the witch in response to her question though. "Good, now where is she?" I use my mind's eye once more to find her navigating the bathhouse behind Rin.

"She is being escorted by one of the bath girls. She will be here in a few moments." I answer, opening my eyes. "She's in the outside hall." I know that by saying that, the girl is most likely going to be-

"Well, come in." After a short while, Yubaba raises a gem-covered, red clawed hand. "I said _come in_." I hear the sound of several doors locking one behind the other. I sigh inwardly. Poor girl got forcefully dragged through a maze of hallways. As we wait for her to make her more than likely horrible entrance, I back into the shadows near the fireplace. Now the only thing visible about me is my blue eyes. The golden flecks in them make them glow, at least, as far as I've been told.

The door to the office opens, and in flies Chihiro. The girl lands face first onto the ornamental carpet. She sits up holding her head. I cross my arms and watch the three green heads bounce towards her, causing her to panic.

"Quiet down, you're making a racket." Yubaba says. A flick of my wrist sends the annoying heads away from the still panicking child. The room descends into a relative quiet. If you consider the grunts and bouncing sounds from the heads as quiet that is. The witch pays Chihiro no mind as she continues to sign paperwork.

"Um…excuse me. I was wondering if you could give me a job." Chihiro calls across the room. So she's brave enough to speak up, but not enough to move closer. Yubaba looks up from her work and drags her claws across the air in a horizontal line. Chihiro's mouth zips closed. Once again, Chihiro starts to panic, trying to pry her mouth open. The bulbous-nosed witch laughs cruelly at her and makes no move to reverse the spell.

"I don't want to hear such a stupid request." The witch smirks. Silently, I step forward into the low firelight and place a gentle hand on Chihiro's shoulder.

"Oh? But she would make a _wonderful _worker. And besides," I grin just as cruelly to the witch. "You _have _to give her a job, remember?"

"She's just a stinking, useless, weakling. And this is certainly no place for humans." I grit my teeth and glare menacingly at her. My grip on Chihiro's shoulders tightens, but I make sure not to hurt her. "It's a bathhouse for the spirits. It's where they come to replenish themselves, and you humans always make a mess of things." She pulls yet another cigar out. "Like your parents, who gobbled up the food of the spirits like pigs."

"Yubaba, not all humans are the same. It is about time you realized that." I snap. Small coils of black and white lightning spark, climbing up my arms and emanating from my palms.

"They got what they deserved." She replies. I shake my head and remove my hands from Chihiro. If my lightning stays in contact with her for too long….. "And _you _should be punished too." The witch hums and lights the cigar. She takes a long drag, exhaling the smoke through her nose.

"You could be a piglet, or maybe a lump of coal." Chihiro twitches. I cast a glance to her, noting her shaking shoulders and slowly watering eyes.

"You harm this girl in any way and I will ruin you!" I growl to Yubaba. Sparks start cracking off of my skin in tandem with my warning. She says nothing, but an annoying cackle belonging to only her reaches my ears.

"I can see you shaking," She sneers, ignoring my words. "I'm actually surprised you made it this far. But I'm sure you didn't do it on your own. Let's thank whoever helped you, besides your new friend here." She gestures a claw to me. Yubaba switches to a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Just who was it dear? Why don't you tell me?" She drags her hand back and removes the silencing spell.

"Please! Can't you give me a job?!" Chihiro shouts.

"Don't start that again!"

"Please, I just wanna work!"

"Don't say that!" The room is soon destroyed, with everything being blown about by the witch's power. She jumps up and sails towards Chihiro, landing with her nose right in the small girl's face.

"Why in the world do you think I should give you a job?! Anyone can see that you are a lazy, spoiled, crybaby and you have no manners." She jabs Chihiro in the stomach with each word. "This is a high-class place I'm running here, so there's no job for you. Now get out, I've got all the lazy bums I need."

"Yubaba!" I yell. Still, my words are unheard. Bright red claws slowly skin up to the girls neck. A single knife forms in my hand as I'm just about ready to make a certain witch loose a finger. Or ten.

"Or maybe I'll give you the most difficult job I've got, and work you until you breathe your very last breath."

I run forward, blinding Yubaba and pulling Chihiro into my arms. My grip around the girl tightens only a fraction, as I bare four knife-like fangs towards the ruler of the bathhouse. I my silver and dark brown hair drape over the small girl's arms and shoulders. She stands just barely at my shoulders' height, so I need every possible way to keep her out of Yubaba's grasp.

Several loud sounds echo from the room behind the office. I smirk. Serves you right, witch, I win this round. The pounding causes the already skewed objects in the office to jumble up even more. A wailing cry comes from the room. I snigger to myself as a large foot punches through the green door.

"Oh dear, you woke up the baby!" Yubaba cries, rushing towards the pale limb. "Mommy's here, now be a good boy now." She turns back to Chihiro and me. "Why are you still here? I told you to leave."

"Now." I whisper into her ear. "Ask now." She gulps and grabs the bottom of her shirt.

"I want you to give me a job please!"

"Quiet down, you're scaring the baby!" I catch another laugh before it's out, as Yubaba gets kicked in her huge head by her own son. "Hi sweetie, don't be angry." She coos. "That's a good boy."

"I'm not leaving 'til you give me a job!" Finally, the witch consents.

"Okay! Okay! Just be quiet!" Her head disappears into the nursery.

"Great job, Chihiro. You did excellent." I whisper again. "Just a little bit closer to saving your parents, right?"

"How did you-" I hold a hand over her mouth, successfully cutting off her words.

"Not here. Either Haku or I will tell you at a later date, alright?" She nods in response. I let go and return to being my stone statue of a self. A blank contract floats towards her, along with a pen.

"That's your contract. Sign your name away and I'll put you to work." Yubaba sighs, pulling wood out of her hair and magically straightening up the room. "If I hear one little complaint out of you, you'll be joining your parents in the pigpen."

"So I- do I sign my name here?" Chihiro questions.

"Just sign it. You want the job or not?" As Chihiro turns to the stone fireplace, Yubaba walks over to her summoning rope. "I can't believe I took that oath. To give a job to anyone who asks. Ridiculous, I hate being so nice all the time. Are you done yet?" She asks, calling the paper away from Chihiro. "So…your name's Chihiro."

"Yes ma'am." The slightly shaking girl replies.

"What a _pretty _name." The witch says. Three of the four kanji in Chihiro's name lift off the paper. "And it belongs to me now. From now on your name is Sen. You got that? Answer me Sen!"

"Yes ma'am."

"You called for me?" A voice rings out. I glance to my right and see the child version of Haku standing rigid as always.

"This girl signed a contract, set her up with a job."

"Yubaba. I will mentor Chihiro." I cut in. There is no way I'm letting her out of my sight. "She's a human in the spirit world, thus it is my duty to keep an eye on her. What better way than to work her for you?" I keep my tone even, but I let the sparks flare a small bit again.

"Fine, fine. Just get her out of my sight!"

"Right. What's your name?" He turns to Chihiro. I make eye contact with him for a couple seconds, but he focuses back on her.

"What? Chihi- oh. It's Sen."

"Okay Sen, follow me. Sora, you as well." I nod to him and walk by his side.

* * *

The third chapter will probably be put up in a few hours or so, depending on how quickly I get the rest of the chapters edited. As always, feedback is very much appreciated, so please drop me a comment if you'd like. Sayonara!

-Silvarena


	3. Chapter III - First Time's a Charm, Eh?

As promised, third chapter has been edited and such. Have fun!

Disclaimer: Same as the first chapter, so don't sue me.

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_Chapter III – First Time's a Charm, eh? – Part I_

The three of us are quiet, the only sounds coming from outside the lift.

"Haku….uh…" The girl starts.

"Don't talk to me. And address me as _Master _Haku." He looks to her, then back at the sliding doors. Chihi- Sen, leans farther away from him. "This is Sora, but you will address her as Mistress Sora, or as anything she tells you to call her."

We exit the lift in silence once again. Haku and I stand straight-backed and stone-faced as we enter the workers' quarters.

"I don't care if Yubaba gets angry with us, we're not taking humans." Two frogs sneer.

"She's already under contract." Haku replies.

"What?!"

"I promise to work very hard." Sen bows lowly to the frogs and yunna.

"We're not going to take her in our department."

"She'll stink up the whole place!"

"Three days and the smell will fade. You can deal with it until then." I state. The workers hush, though some still have the nerve to whisper back and forth.

"If she doesn't work hard, roast her, boil her, do whatever you want." Haku continues for me. I bite back another set of growls. I can't be protective of her, not here and not for a while. "Now get back to work! Where is Rin?"

"What? Don't you dump her on me." The sable spirit retorts.

"Rin, take her to the female dorms to get her a uniform. Teach her the basics, then bring her to my quarters." I command. "And you did say you wanted an assistant. Maybe this will help you see if having one would be a good idea."

"Sen, get going." Haku barks.

"Right!" She says, taking off after Rin.

"Why are you picking on me? You owe me one, both of you do." Rin points to us. After the workers clear out, I walk with Haku again.

"So what is it that Yubaba needed from you?" I inquire. We both take to the lift, though our stops are different.

"I need to report on my _mission_." He leaves it at that. Sometimes I wish that I could just kill that witch for some of the stuff she makes Haku do, but even if I did that, he and the others still won't be able to regain their identities. I just hope that the same thing that happened to all the other workers around here doesn't happen to Chihiro…Sen, rather.

"Hm? _My _assistant?" A voice mumbles over the other end of the phone. "Alright, she won't work tonight, but tomorrow will be a double shift for her…Yes I know, but Yubaba will have her head if she doesn't pick up the slack…Alright, thank you, Rin. I'll be there in a few moments." I hang up the phone in my quarters and fly off from my balcony to the one several stories below me, in the females' quarters.

"Thank you once again, Rin." I incline my head towards the sable.

"Tch. At least I can trust _you _with her." She scoffs. "Just make sure that Yubaba and Haku don't get their hands back on her."

"Hn." I reply.

"You won't believe what she asked me. She asked if there were two Hakus. _Two_!" She rants.

"And what did you tell her, exactly?" I question the spirit. Please, don't let it be anything _too _bad. The last thing I need is a confused girl as well as a slightly annoying dragon to deal with. I kneel beside the sleeping girl. There's nothing wrong with her, just that fear and anxiety is what made her sick.

"I told her that Haku is Yubaba's henchman and not to trust him."

"Alright. I will take her with me. Rin, she will be with you a majority of the time until she learns how to handle herself and her job. She will work with you during the nights, and will stay under my watch during the days."

"I don't see how you're able to put up with all of this. Do you even sleep?"

"Depends. I haven't eaten or slept properly in days, but I can handle a few more days without if it means that I don't have a fried, boiled or skinned human by the end of it." I smile. So far, only Rin and Haku can see beneath the cruel words, the crackling sparks, and the piercing eyes to see who and what I really am.

"Rest well, Rin. You will need it for tonight." With that, I'm off. I fly slowly, trying to keep the light weight in my arms from shifting. A few minutes pass and I land on my small balcony. My room is empty, with the exception of a small closet in the corner, a set of drawers, and a large pile of blankets for futons.

I set Sen on my already made futon by the balcony and get to work setting up a second on for myself beside her. The sun is peeking slightly over the horizon as I fall into a much needed rest.

The scent of saline and water beside me rouses my from my slumber only a few hours after I'd fallen asleep. Sen faces away from me, but I can tell that she is well awake and that she is the cause of that scent. The sound of my door opening slightly wakes me up the rest of the way.

"Haku, what are you doing in here?!" I hiss to him quietly enough to where only he hears it. He waves his hand down, trying to still me. I glare at him, then soften my gaze and pretend to be asleep.

"Meet me at the bridge, I'll take you to your parents." He lays a hand on her blanket, then leaves. A few minutes pass. Sen eventually gets up as quietly as she can and takes off towards the bathhouse entrance.

"Hm. I wonder…." I talk more to myself than to anything in particular. I slowly rise and stretch my tired muscles. Pacing the floor of my room for a few minutes, I turn. From my balcony, I see Haku and Sen running towards the gardens where the animal pens are located. If Haku says they're still there, then they are. There is something that still nags me in the back of my mind. Why is Haku treating her differently than he would any other human that's come through? We've had children younger than her end up here, and all he did was scare them back towards the Gate.

A few hours pass, and a large storm starts rolling in over the plains. Soon the grassland will become an ocean all its own. As the rain starts, I feel Yubaba's presence returning. Tonight will not be easy for Sen, not in the slightest. But…..the first time's always a charm, even if one doesn't feel that way in the beginning. The lights all around the bathhouse and the Gate town ignite, signaling the beginning of our work day.

"Rin and Sen, you get the big tub today." I overhear the foreman tell the girls.

"Hey! That's frog work!" Rin snaps. I shake my head and make my way towards the tub ahead of them. The Gate doesn't need me to guard it during the night, seeing as the small creek becomes a lake at sunset.

"Huh?! What are _you _doing in here?!" Rin yells. I set down my broom and take some of the reeds back to the disposal chute.

"Working, Rin. Yubaba pays me to work, remember?" I reply.

"What?! You _actually _get paid?!"

"Mm. I heard about your assignment for today and decided that it is far too much for a one well-trained spirit and a new girl to handle all on their own. That isn't to say that you two are incapable, but it will still take quite a while to finish, even with the three of us working together." I continue.

"Those jerks. They haven't cleaned this tub in months." She gripes. I glare at the frogs and yunna laughing behind them.

"Rin, Sen. Get started. As for the rest of you," I turn to the other workers. "Get back to work! We have jobs to do and none of you will get a break until their finished!" The workers quickly scatter back to their jobs. Bunch of lazy frogs…..

The three of us scrub separate parts of the inner walls of the tub. So far all the reeds have been cleared off of the floor, we just need to finish the tub itself.

"We only use this tub for our really filthy guests, ugh, disgusting. The sludge is so caked on that it'll take days to scrub off."

"Well, if you lot would take initiative and clean it on your own time, then it wouldn't get this bad." I say.

"Rin, Sen. You've got some customers on the way." The foreman states, peeking around the partition.

"Wait! Give us a minute!" Rin shouts, throwing her sponge down. "This is clearly harassment."

"Hn. Yubaba did say she would work you to the bone, but I didn't think it would be this bad." I climb out of the tub. "This won't be anywhere near done by the time the guests get in. Sen, go get an herbal soak token from the foreman."

"Yeah, we'll have to soak this stuff off." Rin agrees.

"What?" Sen asks. She thumps chin first onto the floor boards beside me. Sighing, I pull her off the floor by her arm.

"An herbal soak token." Rin and I answer together. Sen runs off to get the token, leaving the both of us in the tub room. She soon runs back though.

"Hey Rin, what's a foreman?"

My nose tingles as the very faded, yet still very specific, scent passes into the bathhouse. "A stink spirit." I murmur. "We really _do_ have our work cut out for us, Rin. I'm going to go find Sen, you stay here and finish up whatever you can." Along with the odd scent, I sense not one odd entity, but _two_.

I take off out of the bath stalls and towards the front entrance. Not too far off in the rainy mist, I spot a handful of workers with cloths around their noses, waving lanterns back and forth. Farther away, I see a great mass of mud slowly pushing its way closer to the bathhouse. There's no getting out of this one. Wait. There's only one spirit here, and it doesn't even have the essence of a stink spirit, yet it looks exactly like one.

"It's a stink spirit." Yubaba says, skidding to a halt beside the foreman, frogs, and me.

"And an extra stinky one. It's almost to the bridge!" One frog runs up to us.

"Hm. Something's fishy, that doesn't seem like a stink spirit." She remarks.

"My thoughts exactly." I state. "Let's just give him a bath and get that gunk off of him."

"Sen, don't mess this up!" The witch says to her. "Take this guest to the big tub and take care of him. Sora, you are to stay with me." As always, I nod to her.

"But-but I…." Sen begins.

"No buts or I'll turn you into coal, you hear me?" The witch threatens, getting closer to her. A deep growl from me gets both Yubaba and all the other workers surrounding her to move far enough away as to where I don't feel she is threatened.

"Remember, witch. You can work this girl to the bone if you so please, but one misfired spell, one scratch from your claws, and everything you own becomes mine." I hiss. The witch pales, but says nothing.

"Ah! It's here!" The frog gasps. Multiple workers run into the building, trying to get as far away as possible. The stench is unbearably strong, but also very familiar. Like….petrol. I abide by Yubaba's request that I let Sen handle it though, as I can't be too protective of her, regardless of my duties to the Gate.

"Hands down, you'll insult our guest." Yubaba commands. Sen quickly drops her hands back to her sides. "Look a valued customer." The witch croaks between gags. "Welcome to our baths." The spirit sticks out a muddy arm.

"Ah-oh, its money. Sen, take the nice customer's money." She gags again. Bubbles pop all along the spirit's body, releasing more of the noxious fumes.

"Y-Yes ma'am!" The girl shivers as the slimy glob of gold is dropped into her palms.

"Don't wait, get him to the bath."

"This way." Sen tells him, walking stiffly back to the big tub. I follow not far behind, jumping from railings on the upper floors, opening windows at Yubaba's command. After all that is done, I drop down onto one of the screens surrounding the big tub. I watch alongside Yubaba as the spirit dives head (at least I think that's its head) first into the water. Most of the soak splashes out in a wave of sludge.

"Hahaha, disgusting." The witch cackles.

"I don't think it's very funny." The foreman says.

"Let's see what she'll do next."

I look down to see her trudging her way through the filth, trying to reach the door to call for more water.

"Look, she wants to refill the tub." Yubaba sneers.

"She's going to waste all our good water!"

"Hm, who gave her all the bath tokens?" She demands. Sure enough, down beside her sits a basket filled with different kinds of tokens.

"Don't look at me, I didn't do it." The foreman says. Way to try and save your hide, frog. The water chute falls as Sen slowly makes her way back to the tub. Just as she pulls the rope for the water, she falls. I block out the foreman's complaints as the floor below floods with herbal water. Rin soon rushes into the tub room.

"Sen? Sen, where are you?!" She calls. I roll my hakama up to my knees and tie the legs off.

"Over here!" The small human girl calls back. I breathe a small sigh of relief and jump down to meet them.

"D-Don't worry, stay right where you are, I'm coming to help you." Rin stutters. "You're going to be fine, I won't let him hurt you."

"I think he needs help!" Sen shouts over the falling water. "It feels like there's a thorn in his side!"

"A thorn?" Rin and I share a look.

"It won't come out!" Sen cries back.

"What's that? He has a thorn? Hm." I hear Yubaba say above our heads. "Get the staff down there, step on it!" The witch jumps down, hovering beside us.

"That's no stink spirit we have on our hands." She says, conjuring a rope. "Grab onto this rope!"

"Right!" Sen replies, taking a firm grasp on it. After trying to tie the rope twice, I take it from her and loop it around what feels like a handle of some sort.

"Hold on tight." Rin tells us.

"Got it!"

Dozens of staff members pour in, each taking a grasp on the rope. I stay closest to Sen, followed by Rin and the rest of the staff who came down. I'm kind of wishing that Yubaba didn't send Haku out on another mission, we could _really_ use his help right about now!

"We've got it tied on!"

"Everyone ready on my command!" Yubaba pulls out two fans. All together, we pull on the rope, trying to get this 'thorn' loose.

"A bicycle?" Sen says, confused just like the rest of us.

"Thought so. Get ready now!" Yubaba, along with some of the guests wave on their fans to us. Suddenly, trash and mud spurt out of the spirit. Sen and I manage to move to the side while Rin and the staff run out of the room. A wave of muddy garbage flows out into the room. So I was right, this is the spirit of a polluted river.

* * *

Okay, that is that, and I'll see if I can get the fourth edited before the end of the night. As ever and always, any responses to this story are welcomed, seeing as I'm pretty much going in with this blind with the exception of one lone guest review. Sayonara!

-Silvarena


	4. IV - Of Dragons and Witches - Part I

Hey everyone, I just want to give a quick word of thanks to you guys for giving this a shot. Yeah, yeah, I know it's kind of slow, but hey, growing pains can't be helped. This is a needed read before I go and post the sequel, seeing as there is information in here that will be helpful in understanding the sequel. Bright side, the next story in the Guardian of the Gates series is actually original storyline. Until then, we're stuck with this. Anyway,

Disclaimer: Same as always.

On with the chapter.

* * *

_Chapter IV – Of Dragons and Witches – Part I_

Sen moves back and starts tugging on a red and white ball attached to a string. A popping sound, soon followed by a hissing and a new spurt of purple liquid as a sigh echoes in the room. Water flows towards us, grabbing both me, and Sen up.

A wrinkled face appears from the waters. "Well done." It then fades, the water surrounding us dropping with it.

"Uh?" Sen opens her palms, showing me a small, green ball. As the steam rises, I notice a small yellow gleam coming from the floorboards. Quickly, I let my wings burst from my back as I grab Sen and land on the partition again, this time with a hand on her to help her keep her balance. The workers, upon seeing the gold, go into a frenzy.

"Back off!" Yubaba hisses. "Our guest is still here you idiots." Slowly, the water in the tub begins to bubble and gurgle. "Open the main gates! Wake way!"

The bubbling shoots into the air as a geyser and a large dragon made solely out of water emerges from it. Circling one of the support beams, the ancient river sprit flies out the gates and into the rainy skies. I smile and bring Sen back down to the floor, my wings disappearing in their shards as usual.

"Wow…." Sen breathes. All around us, guests and workers alike cheer.

"Sen, you did great! We made so much money! ~" Yubaba hugs her tightly, jumping up and down with the girl in her grasp. "That spirit is rich and powerful. Everyone learn from Sen. Sake is on the house tonight!" Many of the spirits cheer at the thought of free alcohol. Those cheers turn to complaints when Yubaba tells them to hand over all the gold.

The rest of the bathhouse celebrates a job well done while Rin, Sen and I make our way up to my quarters. The three of us sit on the balcony, leaning against the rail and eating sweet dumplings.

"What a day…" Rin sighs, stretching out on her side.

"Rin, Sora….have you seen Haku?" Sen asks timidly. "Wait! I'm sorry, I was told to call you Mistress Sora."

"Don't worry about it." I laugh. "You can call me Sora if you want to, just not around the other staff. Last thing I need is them undermining my authority just because I let a young girl use my name in a casual tone."

"Not Haku again." Rin says between bites. "He just disappears sometimes. Rumor has it he runs around doing Yubaba's dirty work." I stay silent. Of course rumors would spread about that, seeing as half the time he comes back saying he has to report to that witch, even when severely injured.

"Does he really do that?"

"Dunno, rumors are just that half the time. Rumors."

"Lights out." I state. "We've all had a long night, let's get some rest. Rin, you're free to stay up here if you wish."

"Nah, I'm going down to the dorms. See you both later." The sable replies. The door closes with a quiet thud.

"Sora…you're friends with Haku, right?" Sen inquires from her futon. I sit on the balcony not too far from her.

"Hm. Well, we have worked together for a number of years. I think it's safe enough to say that I'm closer to him than anyone else here, besides you of course. You'd have to ask him yourself when he gets back to know for sure, but yes. I do believe that he and I are friends." I reply.

"He really does do bad things for Yubaba, doesn't he?" She pauses for a while. "I hope he's okay." I give her a small smile and ruffle her hair.

"He'll be fine. Sometimes he comes back hurt, but I'm sure he'll be alright. Besides, if he comes back hurt, you and I can fix him up!" I smile, trying to lighten the child's mood. She smiles back and turns onto her side.

Only when her breath evens out do I let myself rest.

"Sen, are you alright?" I question the girl. She sits up and looks at me for a moment before laying down again.

"Bad dream." She replies. I watch as she gets dressed and walks out the door. I follow silently behind her, wondering why she's up at this hour of the day when everyone's supposed to be asleep.

"Rin?" She calls into the empty dorm room. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know, but I've a bad feeling about this." I respond. She walks out of the dorm and onto the workers' balcony.

"Wow, it really is a sea. There's Mom and Dad's pigpen. I sure hope they're doing alright over there." She says.

"We can visit them later on, if you'd like." I tell her. She shakes her head.

"Haku said that I could get in trouble, and that I should only go with him."

"Hm. I suppose he has a point. I can only protect you so much, and with you under contract, anything I try to do to get you away from any danger in the bathhouse will most likely fail, but that's only because I'm not strong enough at the moment to break the contract for you." I shake my head. "It would be best to wait for him."

"Kamaji lit the boiler already?" She asks, looking towards the smoke stack. Sure enough, thick, black smoke puffs out of the top. "How long was I asleep?"

"Not very long. It's maybe two in the afternoon." I reply.

The kitchens and hallways bustle with workers. Some carry food, others carry baskets, and even more carry jugs of gods-know-what.

"Hey Sen, Sora."

"Oh, Rin!" The girl says.

"I was just coming to wake you two up. Look." Rin says, holding out a small piece of gold. "It's real gold. There's a new guest here who's loaded. He's giving gold away by the handful."

"Hm….." I pick the gold from between Rin's finger tips. It doesn't seem like gold to me, but it looks just like it. I hand the piece back to the sable.

"Who is the guest?" Sen questions her.

"Who cares? Come on, before Yubaba wakes up." She hurries down the wooden step. "Sora, you won't tell her or Haku, right?"

"I don't _technically _work here under contract, so no I won't. Besides, the witch doesn't pay you guys enough and if she has a problem she can take it up with me. Once the solstice is over, I swear I'm going to kick her out on her fat head for the next person she turns into a pig, regardless of if they're spirit or human." I smirk.

"She doesn't pay us at all! She only pays you because she knows that you can follow through with all of your threats against her!" Rin shouts. No wonder why the workers are so petty when it comes to money.

"I'm going to go look for Haku." San calls out from the top of the stairs.

"Oh, will you quit worrying about Haku? Come on Sen, let's go get some gold." Rin tries to convince her. Other yunna and bath girls pull Rin away, leaving just me and Sen once again.

"Sora, why are you following me all the time? Don't you want to do something on your own?" Sen inquires as I walk beside her through the workers' quarters.

"Not really." I answer honestly. "My job is to keep humans out of the spirit world, but the Gate wants you here for some reason. I follow you because I want to, the Gate wants me to, and because Haku asked me to." It is true. Just before the dragon left on his mission, he asked me to keep a close eye on her. I would have done so on my own accord, what with the Gate and my own personal ideals, but his request just gave me even more reason to do so.

"Hm…where is Haku?" She mumbles, resting her chin on the rail of the balcony. "He better get here before I forget what my parents look like. I sure hope Dad hasn't gotten _too_ fat." She sighs. "Hm? Sora, look!"

I raise an eyebrow and peek at what she points to before I run forward, leaning over the rails. A silver dragon with a sea-green mane writhes as hundreds of little bird-like things chase after him. Even from here, I can tell that he's hurt.

"Oh hell!" I yell. I force my wings out of my back and ignore the searing pain of the sudden unfurling. Jumping down, I chase after Haku and what I can now see clearly as a wave of paper birds. He dives multiple times, just to dart back up into the skies. "Sen! I'm not fast enough to catch him!"

Suddenly, he falls straight down into the water. The small papers hover just above where he dove in, then follow him closely. I force myself to fly as hard as I can, trying desperately to catch up with the silver streak in the water. He shoots up the wall of the bathhouse, forcing me to pull up.

I collapse onto the balcony beside Sen.

"I'm completely and utterly spent. He's flying so fast that I can't keep up with him, hell, even in top condition I still can't keep up with him." I shake my head. What did Yubaba make him do now?!

"Haku! Fight 'em!" She shouts. "Come on!" She gasps. "Sora, he's hurt! Haku, this way!"

"Sen, no! Gods girl, move!" I yell, pushing her away from the balcony. Haku crashes into the room behind us. "Hurry up and help me close this!" Sen stands and pushes against one side of the glass door while I push against the other half of it. The door is almost closed, but we get swarmed by the extra papers that managed to get through the small opening.

"Huh? It's just paper." Sen comments. The small birds peel off the glass and fly back to where they came from. The sound of rustling and heavy breaths turns my attention back to my injured friend. "Haku, you're bleeding. Hold still, those paper things are gone now! You're going to be alright."

"Back!" I hiss towards her. Haku growls at the both of us. Blood drips from his muzzle onto the floor. He shoots forward past us and out the gap in the doors. Sen and I watch together from the balcony as he slams against the outside of the building.

"He went in that top window!" She cries. "I've got to get there before he bleeds to death! Sora, please, you have to take me to him!"

"I can't, Sen. I don't have enough strength to carry the both of us." I whisper. Haku's really done it this time…

"Okay, then let's go this way!" She calls out from the hall. I run behind her as she climbs up stairs and runs through multiple different halls. My wings trail down my back and end a few feet behind me. I've lost the strength to hold them up.

* * *

Woo! Almost halfway done! Well, halfway done with the movie that is. Moving on, thanks for reading, enjoy your day and such until the next update. Sayonara and review!

-Silvarena


	5. V - Of Dragons and Witches - Part II

Alright, I'm so sorry about the late update, but between getting sick and starting school I just haven't had much time or inspiration to write. Anyway, here's the chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my own characters and my imagination.

* * *

_Chapter V - Of Dragons and Witches – Part II_

In the main hall, a large crowd blocks our way to the lift. I let Sen push her way through the frogs and yunna as I float over their heads.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" A frog snaps in the executive elevator.

"Going upstairs."

"No you're not! Ah! Blood!" He cries out. Sen runs about, trying to find a way out of the crowd.

"Get out of the way! Our guest is coming through here!" The foreman yells.

"Thank you for helping me earlier." Sen bows to the large black blob of a spirit.

"Don't talk to him you stinking hu-oh oh!" The spirit tosses the foreman back into the crowd. I drop to my feet, ready to intervene if necessary.

"Ah, ah. Ah." The spirit puts his hands out. A small pile of gold appears in his palms and grows into an overflowing mound. Sen shakes her head.

"I don't want any, but thanks." She says softly. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a really big hurry." I run after her as she takes off through the crowd and runs down an empty hall.

"Sen, this is a horrible idea, you know that?" I tell the girl. I beat my wings and watch as she climbs out a window and onto a slanted metal roof.

"I know, but you'll catch me if I fall right?"

"I'll try to." I reply.

"Then it's okay." She swings a leg over the windowsill, then the other. She slips down the metal, but catches herself. She then takes a tie and pulls her sleeves tighter around her arms. I glance between her and the object she's looking at. Oh no, Kami please tell me she isn't going to-

The small girl darts forward. Metal creaks beneath her feet as she runs. Sen grabs onto the metal ladder just in time as the pipe falls. That girl is _so _lucky that she made it, otherwise I would've had both her head and Haku's for putting her in danger like that!

She slowly starts to climb the ladder. I drop down and climb a few rungs behind her, as my wings have all but failed and are now only a nuisance. As we near the top, I notice Yubaba flying back once again from wherever she went this time.

"Sen!"

"It's Yubaba!" She cries. She pulls herself up the rungs quickly as I follow suit. Yubaba lands on her balcony above. I breathe a sigh of relief. We managed to pull ourselves up quickly enough to avoid her catching us.

"Are you alright?" I ask her. Sen looks down at me, then back to the window she's leaning against.

"Hold on, I think I can get it open!"

"Be careful!" I call back to her. "I can't catch you if you fall now!" She tries to jiggle the crack between the panes, but switches to elbowing it instead. She turns to hit the pane with all her weight.

"Stop before you….." She gives a slight shriek and falls into the room behind the glass. "….Hurt…..yourself…" I trail off. I shake my head and climb into the room with her. A large bathroom.

"We're in Yubaba's suite, so be very quiet. Haku most likely landed in her office. Follow me." I whisper. We run down a hall of mirrors and into a giant playroom. Sen walks about carefully as I look around, trying to find the door to the office.

"Hm?" I hear Yubaba talking in her office, most likely to the foreman. Something about a No-face being in the bathhouse.

"Aright, I'm on my way. Don't let him eat anyone else 'til I get down there." The telephone gives a small ring, signaling that the connection was cut. "Ugh. Haku is bleeding all over the carpet." Sen gasps. "Get him out of here, he'll be dead soon anyway."

"Damn witch." I curse. I raise my hand to cast a spell, but pull it back at the last second. Yubaba turns to where we're hidden. Sen runs back into the room panicking. I sigh and pull her into the mound of pillows beside the door. The sound of pillows rustling is followed by the low cry of a baby. The gods take great pleasure in torturing me, don't they?

The two of us sit quietly and listen to that forsaken witch's cooing. A switch clicks and the lights turn to low. I wait until the zipping sound of Yubaba's magic dies down before I wiggle my way out of the pile and towards the door.

"Ah!" I wheel about to see Sen getting pulled back into the pile. Boh must've gotten her. "Ow! Let go of me!" She cries. "Wow, you're a big baby." I rub my forehead and rush out of the playroom and into the office.

"Hey, leave him be!" I yell, swatting at the heads and Yu-bird. "You four are _so _dead when I get my powers back!" I hear Boh wailing and see Sen rushing into the room. "What did you do?!" I stand up. She runs past me and kneels by our currently dying friend. Sen shouts at both the heads and the dragon.

"Sen, yelling isn't going to help any." I say, trying to calm her down, but inside I'm panicking just as much as she is. Haku has always come back alright, what did he do to end up this way in the first place?!

Yu-bird swoops at us and starts attacking Sen. I send a bolt of black lighting at the bird, disorienting it temporarily. The heads start to push Haku closer to the open shaft.

"What did I tell you?!" I shout. "_Uchi no hikari to yami, sorera o ketsugō suru koto_!" The spell binds the three heads, but it breaks almost instantly. I hate having to cast spells verbally anyway…..

The entire room turns into a pandemonium of sorts, what with a panicked human, an annoying bird, three stupid heads that don't know how to listen, and now a huge baby comes in, taking down a rod of curtains with him.

Yu-bird and the heads pause in their assault to stare at the large mass in the room. Boh toddles over.

"I'm not afraid of germs. If you don't play with me I'll cry." He threatens.

"What did you do?" I whisper to the girl beside me.

"Please don't cry, just wait!" She speaks in a hurry. Tears start to bead down the large child's face.

"Right now! Or I'll start crying!" He sniffles. "Sora! Right now!"

"Don't cry! Don't cry!" A paper floats off of her shoulder and towards the still crying baby.

"What a spoiled brat." Another familiar voice says. "Shut your big mouth. You're a bit of a porker aren't you?" The paper floats down to the ground. A mildly see-through copy of the big-headed witch pops out of the floor. "Hmph, still see-through."

"It's better than it was before though." I add.

"Mama?" Boh says questioningly. The copy looks up at him.

"You pea-brain, can't you even tell me from your own mother?" She states. She taps the air. Slowly, the baby shrinks down to the size and shape of a purple mouse. "There now, your body matches your brain. Let's see," She smirks. "What else can we mess with?" Yu-bird is changed to a bird roughly the same size as Boh's new head, and the three heads are changed into a perfect copy of Boh.

"If only I was able to do that at the moment. I'd make Yubaba's head far too big for her own body. Bigger than it is now at least." I smirk back to the witch. She chuckles and turns to Sen.

"This is our little secret, you tell anyone else and I'll rip your mouth out."

"Who are you?"

"Zeniba." She answers. The witch walks over to us. "I'm Yubaba's twin sister. It was nice of you two to lead me straight to this dragon's hiding spot. Now hand him over to me."

"Zeniba….." I warn her. "What are you trying at?"

"What do you want with Haku? He's badly hurt." Sen leans over him, almost like she's trying to keep the witch away.

"Too bad. He stole my solid gold seal. It's magic and powerful and I want it back!"

"Haku would never do that of his own choosing, Zeniba." I state. "He isn't like that!"

"Haku wouldn't steal! He's a good person!" Sen adds. Zeniba huffs and points a claw directly at Sen's nose.

"Do you know why he became my sister's apprentice? To steal her magic secrets and now he's stolen my magic too. He's a greedy little thief and there's _nothing _good about him. Step aside little girl, I'm going to take my seal back from him. There's a spell on the seal, and anyone who steals it will _die_."

Sen begins to protest. Several loud crashes force me to turn my head away from them. The Boh-heads crawl towards us, smacking at Yu-bird and the real Boh.

"You idiots, what's your problem?" Zeniba walks away. "Keep quiet, I don't want my sister coming up here." The two tiny beings crawl their way onto Sen's shoulder. A deep hiss sounds.

"Haku, what-"

The injured dragon stands and whips his tail down, successfully shredding the paper bird and Zeniba's image.

"Ow, a paper cut." Zeniba's image says, falling apart. Haku falls backwards and into the chute, pulling Sen and I with him.

"Haku! We're falling!" Sen shouts. The three of us plunge down the shaft at an alarming speed. "Sora, please do something!" The light gives way to darkness all around us.

"I can't! I used the magic meant to summon my wings when I failed to bind those stupid heads!" I shout back.

"Haku…" She calls. I sit her in front of me on his back and grab a hold of his horns. He snaps out of his daze and pulls us down a different tunnel. "Ah!"


	6. VI - Of Dragons and Witches - Part III

First, I'm so sorry that I forgot to add a translation to the spell Sora said last chapter. That, and the translation for this chapter will be listed at the end. Leave it to me to space out, huh? And oh my goodness, my creativity at the moment is all but none.

Disclaimer: As always, I own zip. I own my OC(s) and a copy of the movie, but that's it.

_Chapter VI - Of Dragons and Witches – Part III_

I groan and sit up. Whereas Sen had landed on Kamaji, I landed on the side of the wooden floor.

"Haku! Are you okay?!" She yells again. I rub the back of my head and let her run up to him before I stand. "What's wrong with you?"

"Get back, Sen!" I yell, standing between her and the snarling lizard.

"This looks serious." Comments Kamaji. The spider spirit climbs down his perch and towards us.

"Haku, don't give up!" The girl shouts as the practically dead dragon collapses. "What do we do, is he dying?" She asks, looking between the elder spirit and myself.

"Yes, but there must be a way to fix it…." I trail off. "I can heal him, but not alone. My powers are just so….diminished that I can hardly do anything."

"It looks like he's bleeding from the inside." Kamaji says, leaning over our heads to get a better look.

"From the inside?" Sen repeats.

"I think so." He replies. I sit back on my haunches and pinch the bridge of my nose. "Maybe he swallowed something." Sen digs a hand into her shirt and leans back towards him.

"Haku, I got this gift from the river spirit. Eat it." She tells him. Watching, I see her try to shove the small ball of herbs into his mouth. "Come on….open your mouth! Please Haku!"

"Here." I say. I drop down beside them and try to help her yank his jaw open. "Stupid dragon…..open your mouth will you?!" We slowly pry it open. Sen quickly shoves the ball down his throat.

"Got it!" She says. "Now swallow!" His eyes snap open. He writhes as Sen wraps her arms around his jaw. I sit beside her and hold up his throat, hoping that the little ball made its way down already. His tail smashes against everything from the susuwatari to the drawers in the walls. He slowly ceases his writhing and coughs out a shiny black glob of Kami-knows-what.

"Sen, Sora, look there!" The boiler man points at the mass. It hisses and dissolves into a black puddle, leaving behind what can only be Zeniba's golden seal and a black slug. The slug looks about before hastily crawling away.

"The gold seal!"

"Get that black slug!" Kamaji points towards its retreating body. "Over there! Get it, get it, get it!" I stare as the slug dances between the girl's feet. It makes a break for the soot holes, only to be scared off and back towards Sen. Said girl shivers as a black gooey substance oozes from between her toes.

"You killed it? Those things are bad luck! Hurry, before it rubs off on you!" Kamaji shouts from his perch. I shake my head and send a bolt of white lightning this time towards the black footprint on the off-chance that thing's magic servived.

"Haku stole this seal from Yubaba's sister." Sen tells him.

"Zeniba's solid gold monogram seal. That's as powerful as it gets." He replies. Haku shifts back to his human form.

"Look! He's changed back!" She cries out. Even in human form, he's still covered with bruises and cuts of all lengths, sizes, and varying depths. "Help me! What do we do?" She sits there, holding tightly onto his unconscious form.

"The golden seal was cursed. It's meant to kill the one who steals it from Zeniba." I inform Kamaji.

"That's strong magic, it's made him gravely ill." He says. "Sora, let us handle him. You get some rest." I nod to him and lay down on the floorboards. Though I'm supposed to be resting, I stay alert and look on as they pour water and medicine down his throat and lay him on Kamaji's futon.

"That should make him more comfortable. Poor Haku, he's had it hard ever since he got here. He just showed up out of nowhere." He reminisces.

"That is too true, Kamaji. Yubaba's worked him to the bone." I speak. "I swear, one day karma will come back to bite her huge behind." I then turn to Sen. "Haku, like many of the other spirits working here, is one of the lost. They have no home, and as such will wander until they either find one, or get snatched up by other spirits. Those other spirits may be malevolent, like Yubaba, or kind spirits, like Haku."

"Or you." She continues. I give her a small smile and lean up on my elbows, resting my head on my hands.

"Kamaji warned Haku not to take the job Yubaba offered him, we told him time and time again that it was too dangerous, but his mind was already made up. Now look at how far it's gotten him." I speak sadly. "Many times, he's come back hurt like this. He would've been fine if I had conserved my power better, but thanks to you, he'll be better in no time at all."

"I told him 'Just quit, go back home', but the boy didn't listen." The spider spirit grumbles. "Once Yubaba got a hold of him, his face turned pale and his eyes turned steely. He's never been the same."

"That slug was used to control him. Whenever Haku didn't want to do something, Yubaba would force him to. Now that it's gone, perhaps he'll be alright. I wasn't around the bathhouse at the time he came here, so I didn't know about it. Not at first, that is." I continue. "When I found out, I tried everything I could to get rid of it for him, but nothing worked. That medicine cured him of _all _his ailments, including that slug." I glance over and see Boh and the soots celebrating over something.

"What if I take the gold seal back to Zeniba?" The girl suggests. "I could give back the seal and apologize to her for Haku. Can you tell me where Zeniba lives?"

"You'd go to Zeniba's? It might help, but she's one dangerous witch." Kamaji scratches the top of his head.

"Please?" She begs. "Haku helped me before, now I want to help him."

"Kamaji, I know this may not comfort you much, but I can go with her. I may not have any magic left, but surely some of my other abilities could be of use in at least getting us away should things go sour." I propose.

"Hm…" He mulls it over. "I know how you can get there, but you'll have to get back on your own." Kamaji pauses and looks between the both of us. "Wait here." He crawls over to his chest of drawers and starts to rifle through them.

"You're a brave girl, Chihiro. To go head-first into such danger for a person you barely know, it is a kind of courage that most people, even most spirits, lack." I whisper. It's dangerous to call her by her actual name, but I want to make sure she remembers it. "You are one of the bravest people I've ever met, and that's saying a lot." I laugh quietly. She smiles slightly and runs over to the susuwatari.

"Everyone," She starts, untying the white cloth around her sleeves. "I need my shoes and clothes please." The soots bounce around and pull her belonging out from their holes. "I guess my parents will have to wait….."

"Not for very long though. Besides," I say, pointing up to the ceiling. "There's quite a racket going on up there. I highly doubt anyone's going to be doing anything to your parents while we're away." The tiny door to the rest of the basement opens.

"Sen," Rin sighs, climbing into the room. "I've looked everywhere for you." The spirit woman glances over at Kamaji, who's still going through his drawers.

"Rin!"

"There's blood everywhere, what's going on here?" She questions. I push myself back to my feet and dust off my hakama.

"Too much to explain, Rin. Haku came back hurt, that is all." I tell her, stretching my arms to the side. A small pop echoes through the room. I sigh and rub my shoulder. "And here _you_ were saying you need a break. After all this is over, I'm heading back to my home in the Human World."

"You have a home there?!" She gapes. "How?! No spirit can cross the border, remember?"

"I can though, what with being the Guardian of the Gate and all that. I keep an eye on the boundaries of the Spirit Forest as well, or did you forget?" I chuckle teasingly. She huffs and puts her hands on her hips.

"Huh? Who are those guys?" She asks, noticing Boh and Yu-bird perched on Sen's shoulder again. Sen looks at them and smiles.

"I picked up some new friends." Behind her, the spirits carry out her shoes and clothes. "See?"

"Everyone's looking for you. Yubaba is furious." Rin says, leaning forward.

"Just what does that witch have to be upset about this time?" I snap.

"The guy with all the gold turned out to be a monster called No-Face." She replies. "And he says that _you_ let him into the bathhouse."

"A No-face in the bathhouse? This is bad, very, very bad." I state. "We need to get him out…..somehow."

"I did let him in." Sen remembers. Rin gasps.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I thought he was a customer."

"What? He's a monster. He's already swallowed three people." Rin tells her.

"Well, he's not _inherently_ a monster. His kind grow and change based off of their environment. Emotions, primarily." I correct her. "A bathhouse isn't a very good place for one of them, especially one where all the workers are enslaved and all the customers are usually in great pain. Their also lost spirits, so they wander quite a bit."

"Found it!" Kamaji's giddy laughter breaks the tension by a small amount. "Here it is, Sen."

"Hey, we're busy boiler man." Rin tries to interrupt.

"You can use this." Kamaji says, holding up five train tickets.

"You've got train tickets? H-how did you get a hold of them?" Rin stutters.

"I've been saving them for forty years. Now listen carefully, both of you. The train stop you want is called Swamp Bottom."

"Swamp Bottom?" Sen repeats.

"That's where Zeniba lives, the sixth stop."

"Six stop." She repeats again.

"Make sure you get it right, the train used to run in both directions, but these days it's a one-way ride." He warns. "You still want to go?"

"By then I should have enough strength to get us back on my own." I say. "My other forms may not fly, but they somehow take less power to use than my wings do."

"Yep! And we can walk back along the tracks if we have to." She nods.

"Sen, what about No-Face?" Rin inquires. Sen kneels beside Haku.

"I'll take care of that now. Haku, I'll be back soon, just hold on." She tells him.

"What's going on?" Rin asks confusedly. I smile lightly at the girl by the out cold dragon.

"Something you wouldn't recognize. It's called love." I hear Kamaji tell her. I sit beside Sen and Haku and whisper a nearly inaudible spell over him.

"_Anata no naka no seikatsu, kare o iyasu._" A small blue and gold light flows from my hand and across the futon. "He should be good as new in no time." I whisper tiredly. "That's going to be my last spell for a while yet, so it better help, at least somewhat. In the meantime though," I say, waving out my hand. "We have this."

A large collection of sparks surrounds my arm. The sparks diminish, leaving behind a slightly glowing staff of silver metal. I run my fingers down the engraved markings on it. I then wave a hand by my right hip, revealing a midnight-black sheath for my equally dark katana.

"This will protect us just fine if that No-face tries anything."

And, done.

Translations:

Uchi no hikari to yami, sorera o ketsugō suru koto! : Light and Darkness within, bind them!

Anata no naka no seikatsu, kare o iyasu. : Life within thee, heal him.


	7. VII - No-Face and Pasts Long Buried

Wee! I finished this thing and edited it to the best of my currently feverish abilities. Sad part is, the first chapter of the second part is _still_ giving me issues. It doesn't love me...

Disclaimer: Ever and always the same, leave me be.

_Chapter VII – No-Face and Pasts Long Buried_

All around the upper floors, the workers rush around. As per usual, I follow behind the human girl like a shadow. The bathhouse workers whisper around us, some saying nasty remarks, others wailing about how they don't want to get eaten.

"Oh Sen, thank goodness. Yubaba can't hold him off much longer." The foreman rushes out. A loud crash resounds from the room behind him. The negative energies behind the door give me more than enough reason as I rest a hand on my katana's silver and black handle. I place the other hand behind my back, wrapping my fingers tightly around the metal staff.

"There's no need to get upset, I'm sure they'll find Sen _somewhere_." I hear Yubaba say, obviously trying to calm the raging spirit. The doors shudder for a moment.

"Where is Sen? I want Sen!" The voice of the no-face says. I shake my head. Sounds just like a child. No, worse, seeing as a child stands before me and hasn't even acted this way since the first few hours she was in this world!

"Hurry, this way." The foreman says. He pushes Sen towards the door. "Madam, Sen is here now."

"Finally!" She hisses, throwing the doors open immediately. "Sen has arrived sir, she'll be with you in just a few minutes." She bows out, closing the door behind her. "He's destroying everything. It's costing us a fortune, so such up to him and get every last speck of gold he's….." She trails off.

Yu-bird hovers, holding Boh up by his back. "Chu." The little mouse-boy says. I think he's trying to say mother, but I can't be quite sure.

"Ew, what's that dirty mouse doing here?" Yubaba questions us. I fight back a smirk. Way to go Zeniba, you managed to not only almost kill my one of my closest friends, but also managed to kick your nephew off his high throne. Kami, not even the actual royal family acts that way.

"Huh?" Sen asks, looking at him. "He's your- he doesn't look familiar?"

"Familiar? Don't be stupid. Now get in there." With that, the witch shoves us both into the completely ruined room. "Here's Sen."

The oni painted on the screens around us pretty much describe the massive spirit before us. He makes his way over to where we sit on the floor.

"Try this, it's _delicious._" He says, holding up and entire platter of food. He drops it. "Want so gold? I'm not giving it to anybody else." What? I keep my face blank, even with the confusion. Why did his voice just change? It shouldn't- wait. The others said that he swallowed three people. He must be using their voices to speak then.

Sen says nothing, just sits as straight-backed as I do. The No-Face comes even closer to us.

"Tell me Sen, what would you like? Just name it."

"I would like to leave sir." She replies. "I have someplace I need to go to right away please." The spirit recoils, as though he's been hit. "You should go back to where you came from. Yubaba doesn't want you in the bathhouse any longer. Where was your home? Don't you have any friends or family?" I can't stop her as the words tumble out. What part of lost spirit does she not get….?

"No, no. I'm lonely." He says. His mask slides back into his body as he starts to circle us. "I'm lonely." Sen and I back up against the door.

"What is it that you want?"

"I want Sen….I want Sen!" He yells. "Take the gold!" I pull her back against me before he can grab her.

"If you want to eat me, eat this first." She walks towards him. In her hand rests the other half of the medicine from the river spirit. "I was saving this for my parents, but I think you'd better have it." She tosses the ball into his open mouth. A black liquid similar to what came from Haku's pools out of his mouth. He turns away from us and vomits up more of the substance.

"Sen." He says, turning around. I pull her back towards me and the door. "Sen, what did you do to me?" He lunges forward. Quickly, I pull her out of the room and down the hall.

"Enough." Yubaba skids into the hall. "I don't care if he's rich, this nonsense has got to stop." The witch conjures a ball of energy and hurls it towards him. I pull Sen far away from her and down to another level of the building, as the only damage she causes is a wave a vomit heading right towards us.

"No-face! Over here!" She yells. We continue to run as his thunderous footfalls trail behind us. I lead her down the stairs and to the workers' halls. Spirits scream all around us as we turn sharply away from the elevator shaft. I hear the sound of the spirit crashing against the elevator and smirk with satisfaction.

He pukes up two of the workers before following us exhaustedly through the kitchens and several smaller side halls.

"Sen! This way!" I look down to see Rin in a small tub boat just big enough for the two of them. She nods and jumps down level by level towards the sable spirit. I however, jump from the topmost level and dive down into the water.

I swim towards them choose to stay slightly behind. Pushing my dripping hair away from my face, I look up to see the No-Face walking along one of the pipes connected to the building.

"Come on," I wave to him. "This way."

"Hey! Over here!" Sen yells. She peels away her bathhouse uniform to reveal her human clothes beneath them.

"Sen, don't call him over!" Rin scolds her.

"But Sora said that being in the bathhouse was making him crazy." She replies. "He needs to get out of there."

"Exactly." I continue her response. "No-Face spirits are lost spirits, as I mentioned before. They don't know who or what they are, so they imitate things they see in their environment. He didn't know that behaving like some of the guests and workers would get him in trouble, and it didn't help that he ate those workers who were particularly greedy or snobbish."

"Yeah, and go where?" Rin asks.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" She echoes. The No-face jumps off of the pipe. "Great, now he's following us."

"He won't hurt us." Sen says.

"And if he does or even tries to, I have this staff and sword for a reason." I supply. I look over my shoulder to see the No-face spit out the last spirit he ate, which just so happens to be that annoying little frog, Kaeru, before following behind us once more.

"You'll have to walk from here. The station's just down the tracks." Rin tells us.

"Thanks Rin." Sen says. I nod my head in thanks and walk with the small yet girl.

"You both had better come back, you hear me?"

"I will." Sen replies.

"I'll be returning as well, so don't worry about the both of us." I pause in my steps to tell her. I turn my heel and make my way back to my charge.

"Sen! I'm sorry I called you a dope before! I take it back!" I hear her call. We're too far away by now to reply verbally, so instead, Sen raises her hand. Our walk to the station is a quiet one, the only sound being our footsteps in the water.

"There's the station!" Sen says, rushing towards the tan slab of stone in the middle of the water. I keep up with her pace and stop beside her on the stone. "Here comes the train, come on!" I quickly pull the water off of her feet and out of my clothes and hair as the train speeds towards us. I wince slightly, as the high shriek of the metal wheels against the rails grates on my ears again. We run towards the now open doors of the train, where the shadowy conductor stops us.

"Oh." Sen gasps. She reaches into her shirt, to find that our tickets are gone. "Oh no, Sora, I've lost Kamaji's tickets." At the sound of my name, the conductor looks to me.

"Kon'nichiwa. My name is Azeri Sora Yuriya, Guardian of the Spirit Gates." I bow my head to the spirit. He in turn bows lowly to me and ushers us in. "We're headed to Swamp Bottom, Sixth Stop." He points to each of us, then behind us. "Him as well." I motion to No-Face.

The conductor makes way for us and leaves once we've boarded. Sen takes a seat in the open space between two shadow spirits and pats the bench on both of her sides. I hesitate, then walk forward and sit to her left. No-Face takes to her right.

"Sora," She asks after a while. "Why did the conductor let us on after you told him your name?" I smile at her innocent question.

"Well, it's a long story. We have a long ride ahead, but I don't quite know if I'd be able to tell you the whole thing by the time we get there."

"Then just tell me a short part of it." She suggests. I nod and lean back, closing my eyes. Taking a deep breathe, I begin.

"I've lived for a very long time, though I don't look it. Every being here is classified as something. There are humans, animal spirits, kodama, komainu, dragons, witches, the lost, and so forth. There are even gods, like the one you received the medicine from. I however, don't have a classification. I am my own group all together, an enigma of sorts. I am a spirit who can go between the Human World and the Spirit World freely." I sigh and shake my head.

"I'm well respected here because I keep humans and most cruel beings from wandering into our realm through the spirit gates, such as certain oni that only exist in the human world. It takes great power to be able to ward things off and such. I have other powers that many lack as well. Back on topic though, the Midnight Gate, the one you came through, is the most powerful one, hence why it is the one I'm always at." I run my hands through my hair and open my eyes to look at the curious girl beside me.

The five of us fall into silence as the train rattles on. We make multiple stops, each with waves of spirits boarding or leaving the train, until the sun has fallen and we're the only ones left.

"Sora?" I hear Sen ask timidly.

"Hm?" I open my eyes blearily. "What is it?" She looks to me, then to the floor of the train car.

"Do you have a family? You said you aren't a lost spirit, right?"

"….yes. At least, I did at one point." I answer after a while. "I had a rather odd kind of family, but it was my family nonetheless. I've never had parents before, they passed away before I even had a single memory of them. I did have some friends who were very close to me though."

"What happened to them?"

"It's part of that very long story, so don't worry about it for now." I tell her. She doesn't ask any more questions for the time being, so we all return to our companionable quiet. For that, I am grateful. The young girl's curiosity roused memories in me that I've never wanted to remember in the first place. A few centuries ago, maybe, but now, I don't want a bar of it. The guilt from them is eating me apart, piece by piece, and I can do nothing about it.


	8. VIII - The Witch Zeniba

I'm actually kinda sad to see the almost-end of this thing. Even though my writing is bad at best (in my opinion at least), I still am glad that at least some people like it. Though it has been kinda slow, that's something I hope to alleviate in the second part. Well, when I finally get the first chapter of it done that is.

Disclaimer: If you've actually made it this far, you already know that nothing's changed from the disclaimer in the first chapter.

_Chapter VIII – The Witch Zeniba_

The train screeches to a halt at the sixth stop. The five of us are already up and waiting as the door slides open.

"I hope this is the right stop." Sen says. I pat her lightly on her free shoulder.

"It is. I can feel the magic around Zeniba's house, so we must be close."

"Let's go." She responds. I can't tell what's going on in her head, but I do sense the same fear she felt when she saw Zeniba for the first time blooming in her again, but there's a great difference between what she felt then and what she gives off now. Even though she's scared, she's doing this for her beloved friend.

As we walk down the path, Yu-bird falls back a bit. I turn to look at the tiny panting bird and the purple mouse. Surprisingly, Boh stands on his own two- sorry, four paws and walks past me.

"You can ride on my shoulder if you're tired." Sen offers a hand for him to climb up. He looks away from her and walks past on his own. It seems as though someone else has grown up slightly over the course of this entire thing. Boh suddenly stops.

Out in the shadows of the swamp, a single light bounces its way down the path and towards us, squeaking with every jump. As it comes into view, I can see its full form. A lamppost with a hand for moving around with. With a trade of bows, it hops away from us, lighting the path towards the witch Zeniba's home. It stops every so often to give us a chance to catch up.

The lamp swings itself up onto a wooden gateway marking the start of Zeniba's land. Sen stops below it for a few seconds before walking forward to the small cottage's wooden door. The door swings open of its own accord.

"Come in." A voice calls from inside. Sen sucks in a breath and continues into the house, followed by myself and No-Face.

"Hello?" She looks about the room. I will admit, Zeniba has far better taste in decoration than Yubaba does.

"Hurry up, I don't have all day."

"Come on." Sen says to the lost spirit behind us. I smile to him and wave him forward again.

"So, you all made it." Zeniba comments, closing the door and walking away. "Sit down, I'll make some tea." She walks over to her stove and sets a kettle on it. I sit on the bench at the table and watch Sen present the gold seal to the witch.

"Excuse me ma'am, Haku stole this from you." She says, putting forward the seal. "I came to give it back." Zeniba looks at it for a moment, then takes it from her grasp.

"I see. Do you have any idea what this is?" She asks, holding it up.

"Yes, it's the golden seal you were looking for. I'm here to apologize for Haku. I'm very sorry!" Sen says, bowing low.

"He sliced me in two you know, and I'm still angry." The witch replies.

"Hm. What? The protective spell is gone!"

"I'm sorry, do you mean that black slug that was on the protective seal? I squashed it with my foot." Sen says hurriedly. I resist the urge to laugh. She was so worried over Haku that she didn't hear half of my conversation with Kamaji and Rin.

"Squashed it?!" Zeniba cackles. My own laughter spills forth.

"Zeniba, this girl has done some amazing things, one of them being infuriating your sister twice and getting away with it." I laugh.

"That wasn't _my _slug!" She says. "My sister put that in Haku so she could control him. You squashed it!" She starts laughing again.

"I do believe that the main thing we have in common is our love of Yubaba's misfortune." I snigger. "It's been a long time since I've heard anything from or about you. My name is Sora."

"Yes, yes, I know who you are dearie." Zeniba states. "You are the Guardian of the Gates. The season's been hard on you, hasn't it?"

"You haven't the slightest clue." I sigh. "From dealing with your sister, the larger amount of humans and their pets coming through the gate, and dealing with my own personal affairs, it's hell."

"The duties _are _usually shared between the Guardian and the heir, remember?"

"Yes, too bad the prince disappeared without a trace!" I hiss. "That, and I wouldn't want to be stuck to him for eternity anyway!" The witch giggles slightly at my frustration.

"Come now," She says, pushing us back to the table. "Back to business. What happened to my spell? Only love can break it."

"Can you please turn these two back into their normal forms?" Sen asks.

"The spell on those two wore off long ago. Change back if you want." Zeniba tells them. Boh and Yu-bird shake their heads.

Hours later, I sit on the rug beside the fire, lightly tracing the symbols on my katana's blade. Boh and Yu-bird run on a spinning wheel behind me, taking breaks every now and then to breathe before running again.

"I don't get along with my sister, she's so obnoxious." I hear Zeniba tell Sen at the table. "You saw how tacky her home is. We're identical twins, yet exact opposites." I listen to Yu-bird's buzzing as she and Boh go to the table to take some of the sweets. "I'm sorry she turned your parents into pigs, but there's nothing I can do. It's just the way things are. You'll have to help your parents and Haku on your own. Use what you remember about them."

"What?" The girl questions. "Can't you please give me more of a hint than that? It seems like I met Haku before, but it was a long time ago."

"That's a good start." Zeniba comments. I turn myself and see the confusion on Sen's face.

"You _have _met him before. What the mind forgets, the heart remembers, as some say." I smile. "Just keep trying to remember, and eventually your mind will catch up."

"Once you've met someone, you never really forget them." The kind witch continues. "As Sora said, it just takes a while for your memories to return. While you're thinking, the boys and I are…"

I sheath my blade again and rest my head on my knees. I remember many things, but no matter how hard I try, I still can't remember my own parents. It saddens me, but sometimes I really wonder if it's worth wanting to know or not.

"Come on, keep at it." Zeniba laughs as Boh and Yu-bird take yet another break. "Kaonashi, where did you learn to spin thread? You're really good at this." I sit at the table with them, watching as they work together to make a gift for Sen. I glance over my shoulder and see the child curled up in a tiny ball, sitting on a stool by the door. "Now let's weave the threads together. Knit one, pearl two, knit one, pearl two, knit one. That's right."

"Granny, I can't remember anything at all." Sen sadly states. "Haku could be dead already and I'm just sitting around here." She starts to cry. "My mom and dad could've been eaten for dinner!" She looks up to me, tears still running down her cheeks as I hug her tightly.

"It's alright, nothing's happened to them." I whisper soothingly to her. "They're alright, and if anything happens, Yubaba will have the full brunt of a Guardian to deal with." In the time we've been sitting here, a majority of my own powers have returned already. It's never come back as swiftly as it has this time, but I'm not going to complain about it.

"Wait just a little bit longer." Zeniba says, snipping her scissors. "Ah, there we go." She holds out her hand towards the crying girl. "Use it to tie back your hair." Sen puts her hands out and holds the small, purple tie.

"It's…beautiful." She replies.

"It'll protect you. It's made from the threads your friends wove together."

"Thank you." Sen holds the tie close before using it to pull her hair back up.

"I also have something for you." I say. I pull out a silver chain from my shirt. "Keep this either around your neck or in a pocket with you always." I uncoil the chain to reveal a small, nail-sized crystal surrounded by the metal chain. "The stone is special, I put a spell on it. No matter where you go in the world, I'll always be able to find you if you need me. Just tell it you wish to see me, and I'll be there. It too can protect you in your time of need."

"Thank you." She whispers, taking the necklace from my hands. "Um….can you help me with it?" I smile good-naturedly and lock the clasp back around her neck. The window panes start to rattle as I step back.

"What good timing! We've got another guest." Zeniba tells us. "Would you let him in?"

"Sure." Sen rushes off towards the door. I follow behind at a more leisurely pace. She pulls the heavy door open and sticks her head out. "Haku!"

I lean against the stone doorframe as Se- Chihiro runs to him, nuzzling the perfectly healed dragon's muzzle. I sigh and turn towards the witch.

"Zeniba, you can sense it too, can't you?" I whisper to her.

"Oh yes, dear. The sheer power that that dragon gives off is hard to miss!"

"No, not that. There's something else, but I can't name it." I rub my temples. "I've never sensed such a thing before, and most definitely not around Haku."

"Hm. Maybe your heart needs to tell you something too." She smiles. "And you may also call me Granny, Sora." I bow lowly to the witch.

"Thank you…..Granny." I walk back out the door with Zeniba and Kaonashi behind me.

"Ah, that's love for you." She comments, walking closer to my two friends.

"Look Granny! Haku's alive!" Chihiro says happily. Haku bows his head to her.

"Haku, I will forgive you for stealing my precious seal, but in return you must take care of this girl." Zeniba says. She turn to the others. "Okay you two, it's time to go home. Come back soon. Kaonashi, why don't you stay with me? I could use a good helper." Kaonashi nods quickly.

"Granny!" Chihiro cries, running towards the grandmotherly witch. I let her have her goodbye and let my magic flow once again, summoning my silver wings. "Thank you so much! I'll miss you!"

"Don't worry, as Sora said, everything will be alright." Zeniba replies.

"I want you to know my real name. It's Chihiro."

"Chihiro." Zeniba says. "What a pretty name. You take good care of it."

"I will."

"Off you go, Chihiro." I jump into the night sky and miss her last goodbyes, but it doesn't take long before Haku is flying at a comfortable pace beside me. I knew the moment Haku landed that this may be the end of Chihiro's adventure here, and I can't help but think what a beautiful ending this will be.


	9. IX - The End May Not Always Mean The End

Seeing as I've chosen to put a little less than half of the story up in one day, I chose to not make anyone wait a horrible amount of time before I post the end of the movie.

Disclaimer: Come on, do I really need to say it nine times? SA belongs to the people who made, funded, and came up with it. AKA; Not me.

_Chapter IX – "The End" May Not Always Mean "The End"_

The past hour has been flown in silence. I suppose it gives time to enjoy the rapidly changing scenery below us though. The swamp has already given way to rivers and deltas below. It shouldn't be long before we reach the Aburaya.

"Haku, listen." Chihiro tells him. "I just remembered something from a long time ago." The moment she says that, I descend a bit. Whatever she has to say is going to be important, seeing as she spent hours thinking about it, not to mention worrying over it. As I fly, I feel that same thing that I spoke to Zeniba about well up again. I know it isn't coming from me, but rather, from Haku. But what in Kami's name is it?!

Hundreds of scales fall above me. Looking up, I see Haku change back to his human form as the two start to fall from the sky.

"You did it Chihiro!" Haku shouts over the wind. "I remember, I was the spirit of the Kohaku River!" I smile and fly onward towards the bathhouse. Now let's see just how that rotten witch takes this.

We reach the bridge near noon. As I touch down in the shadows of the buildings, I see something. A pen of twelve pigs is set up at the entrance, with Yubaba pacing in front of it. Other workers all crowd around the top of the walls, presumably waiting for Chihiro and Ha- Kohaku. I don't believe I'll ever be able to call him anything other than Haku though.

I jump back and land on the roof of a nearby restaurant.

"Hey there they are!" Rin shouts, pointing towards the two. Guess she didn't see me. They land neatly at the other end of the bridge. I force myself farther into the shadows again and watch as Yu-bird carries Boh back over to Yubaba.

"I see you failed to bring my baby back." The witch comments. Yu-bird pulls up, and down drops a now normal Boh.

"Mama!"

"My baby!" She shouts, embracing him. "Are you traumatized? Did they do terrible things to you?" I scoff and shake my head. Stupid witch, we brought her child back, she should be happy that we did just that! "You're standing all by yourself, when did that happen?"

"Don't forget your promise!" Haku yells. "You must return Chihiro and her parents to the Human world."

"Humph. Not so fast, Haku. I get to give Sen one final test." She states. The workers all boo at her from the roofs. "Shut up!"

"Stop it Mama. Leave her alone. Sen and I had a really good time." I try hard not to laugh at Boh's words. Yubaba is left speechlessly gaping at her son.

"But a deal is a deal sweetie." She tries to argue. "I have to give Sen one final test."

"If you make Sen cry I won't like you anymore." The large baby warns her.

"But…"

"Hey Granny!" Chihiro calls. I chuckle from my perch. Haku locks eyes with me for a split second before turning back to the witch.

"Granny?" I hear Yubaba say questioningly.

"You're right. A deal's a deal." The girl speaks. She walks across the bridge and over to Yubaba and the group of pigs. "Okay, I'm ready. I'll take your test."

"Hm. You've got guts. I've got you contract right here. Come this way." Yubaba waves her forward with the rolled up contract. If I aim just right I could light it up myself, but I hold back. Chihiro has to do this on her own. "This will only take a minute." The witch coos to her child.

"Don't worry." Chihiro tells him as she passes.

"See if you can tell which of these pigs is your mother and father." Yubaba says. I ball my hands into fists. What a cheap way to test her when the girl wasn't even supposed to see her parents as pigs. I stand and drop down beside Haku.

"I'll be waiting at the Gate for her. If she doesn't come in ten minutes, I'm burning the Aburaya down with Yubaba in it and not even you can stop me." I whisper to him.

"I don't think I'd stop you, regardless of the reason." He replies in an equally quiet voice. I nod to him and take off for the Gateway. In two minutes, I make it to the cluster of buildings near the steps. This gives me a view of the Gate and the steps, meaning that I'll be able to see her when she appears.

I glance down the road, then back at the Gate. Six minutes have already come and gone. Just as I'm about to stand, Haku comes down the road, pulling an ecstatic Chihiro with him. He looks to me for a moment and I nod. Jumping down from the other side of the building, I make my way towards the Gate, carefully activating my spell so that Chihiro's parents don't see me as I stand beside the tunnel. Now when I use that spell, I can make it to where only Chihiro sees me if I want to.

I watch as Chihiro hesitates and talks to Haku for a moment, before she runs towards us. At first her parents don't notice her, but after I push a single gust of wind in her direction, they turn.

"Chihiro! Where have you been? Hurry up!" Her mother calls. She gasps before running forward and stopping before them.

"Mom! Dad!" She shouts.

"You shouldn't run off like that honey."

"You could get in big trouble." Her father continues. Chihiro pauses and glances at me. I walk over and kneel to her height.

"Chihiro, no matter what happens, never forget us. You'll be seeing me someday in the future, so don't worry about us. Now then, go enjoy your life." I tell her. Small tears threaten to well up in my eyes as she hugs me tightly. She lets go after a while to follow after her parents. After she's gone, I let my tears fall.

"Never forget us, because we will never forget you."

Has anyone else noticed that the end of the movie almost always hits a person in the heart? I swear, even after having watched the movie at least a hundred times, I still tear up. And then I cried as I wrote this version. Poor Sora and Haku. At least Chihiro smiled as she left, but no, I had to go off and be a jerk. Anyway, I'm so happy that people actually made it to the end of this! Please feel free to give me any feedback and be on the lookout for the sequel in the coming weeks if you're interested.


	10. X - Breaking Our Ties - Bonus Ch

Tada! Bonus Chapter! I was always wondering how exactly Haku got out of his contract, so I put that into the end of here too. I also wanted to make sure it was symmetrical in chapter count, that may nobody wound go Death the Kid on me. Kudos to you if you understand the joke, and if not, you have got to look him up. That stuff is so hilarious!

Disclaimer: Check the first chapter, then come and bother me. Oh, and the idea for having the rulers in the Spirit world and the system for it belong to Arlia'Devi, so go check out her story _The Path of Water_ if you haven't already. Seriously, she is like the master of fanfiction.

_Chapter X – Breaking Our Ties – Bonus Chapter_

I meet back with Haku at the top of the stairs where he still stands, looking at the empty tunnel.

"She's gone." He whispers.

"We'll see her again one day, I'm sure of it Kohaku." I tell him. "And change back to your normal form for Kami's sake! I miss you being taller than me! At least then I didn't have to go leaning down to talk to you!" He laughs at me as a torrent of scales surrounds him.

As the scales fade, the familiar form of my friend comes into view. Now, instead of the bob he had in child form, his hair falls to his shoulders and is tied back by a simple white ribbon. His clothing remains the same though, other than the fact that it grew with him. I smirk at him and reel my arm back, trying to land a hit to his chest.

"That is for scaring me half to death." I say, kicking at him." That, is for scaring Chihiro half to death," And I end with a second kick to his other side. "And that is for actually taking the apprenticeship. You could also stand to take a couple of my hit you know." I huff. "I swear, you're the only one who manages to dodge almost every hit I throw at you."

"That is because I know a majority of your attacks." Haku replies. I smile. It's nice to hear his actual voice after so long.

"Hmph. You don't know all of them though, dragon. Now that you have your name, what are you going to do?" I ask honestly.

"First I'm going to break this contract. Second, I'm going to find the rest of my missing memories." He states. We walk quietly beside each other the entire way to the bathhouse. He pauses at the bridge. I turn around to look at him. I only now really notice the differences between our heights. Whereas I stand at five-five, he stands at a good six-two.

"Are you alright?" I question him. He nods and walks past me, his stone mask already in place. I follow suite. The entire staff stands waiting for us in the halls and along the balconies. They don't say anything, but I can tell that there's something similar running through each of their minds. _Something big and or bad is about to happen_.

The entire trek up the stairs was quiet, other than the occasional whisper or the sound of spirits falling over each other. As we reach the elevator, I hold in a sigh of relief. This isn't even halfway over and I know it. The elevator opens to reveal the level for Haku's and my own rooms. His quarters take up half the floor, and my own take up the other half.

"Haku, what are we doing here?" I inquire. He walks soundlessly into his own rooms. I stand outside his main door, waiting for him to get done with whatever it is he needs to do. When he walks out, I find him dressed in a regal blue tunic with green swirls running across it, forming waves. He changed his work pants into a black hakama similar to mine. On his feet are simple wooden sandals.

"That's right! A worker can't leave without their own clothing." I gasp, remembering. "Well, it's a good thing that I don't technically work here, so I never had to change my style of dress."

"A very good thing indeed Sora. I don't think I could handle trying to break another spirit's contract. Breaking Chihiro's was hard enough." He sighs.

"Imagine how hard it's going to be to break you own." I say. "And where did you get the time to buy yourself some clothes anyway?"

"That's one of the things I don't actually remember." He states. "I've had these since I came here. They must've been what I came in with."

"Hm…." I hum, deep in thought. Haku's clothing is far different than what most spirits wear. Then again, his river was very powerful, and he still is. He must've had a great fortune hidden somewhere or something.

The way up to the floor above is quiet again. One could say that it's uncomfortably so, but that's only for the fact that we both know something bad is most likely going to happen. Azeri, my family's katana, still sits hanging from my waist. I already dismissed my staff, so it would be wise to at least go in with some preparation.

"What do you-"

"We're here to see Yubaba." Haku says, cutting the knocker off. "Let us in." The very aura around him is enough to make the knocker open the doors. The path down to the witch's office is swift and easy.

"What do you want now?" Yubaba snaps the moment we enter. "The girl was sent back to the Human world like you wanted."

"I'm ending my contract." Haku states levelly. The witch glances between him and myself before she starts cackling.

"Very funny Haku. You can't end your contract, you don't even know your own name." She sneers. Her words are met with indifference from the both of us.

"My name is Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi. You would be wrong to address me as anything else." He continues. "I'm ending my contract now, and there is nothing you can do about it Yubaba." With his words, a slip of paper slides out of the witch's desk and rolls up in Haku's hand. The document then bursts into flames.

"Come!" Haku calls to me. He runs past her and jumps from the window. I follow directly behind him. "Don't summon your wings."

"What?!" I look at him incredulously. Scales suddenly rain above me as I grab onto his now dragon form. I shake my head and wrap my hand around his horns. "Where are we going?"

_"__To the Palace." _He tells me telepathically.

"To find out who you are?" I ask. He grunts in response. Our flight is uneventful, as I sit dozing lightly on his back.

_"__Wake up, Sora."_ His voice calls through my head. I open my eyes and blink. We're flying directly down into the Imperial City's main plaza.

"Oh hell, Haku. You owe me for doing this, you hear?" I hiss in his ear. A deep growl-like sound reverberates in his throat. "Don't mock me you stupid lizard." I mutter.

He transforms back into his human form and offers a hand to me as I land. All around, people halt in what they're doing to look at us.

"What did you do that made you popular in even the City?" I ask. Haku shrugs and pushes forwards towards the Imperial Palace. "It better not have been something that Yubaba made you do."

"If it was, someone would've most likely come up to us already, trying to arrest me." He replies, a small smirk evident in his voice and even more so on his face. I laugh lightly.

"It must be _my _reputation then, hm?" I tease. He smiles at it as we approach the marble steps of the Palace. "Here goes nothing…..or everything." I whisper to myself.

The moment we step through the doors, palace servants of all kinds push of towards the throne room. I don't even have a chance to think as we're pushed towards the throne. Haku and I instantly bow on our knees before the Spirit World's ruling deities. They aren't so much kings and queens as they are lords and ladies. The spirit world has never believed in using those terms, though ones like prince are still used.

The Lord and Lady of the Spirits are silent as we bow. Slowly, the Lord motions for us to stand and smiles warmly at us.

"Welcome home, Kohaku." He says.

In the back of my mind, all the pieces fall into place.

And that's the end folks! And please don't hate me for; a) My probably horrible portrayal of beloved characters, b) the cliffhanger, or c) The fact that I put an OC into a story and pretty much just took the movie and twisted it a bit. Luckily, the first hurdle is behind us and I can now feel free to use and exploit the characters as I see fit.

PS: The previous sentence is just a joke. ;)


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